The Last One
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: After their fourth child, Will and Emma thought their family was complete but life decided to give them one another little surprise.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Well, this started as a prompt from Charlotte probably about year and a half ago…honestly, I didn't think I'd ever finish it but here it is! Happy Holidays to all you wemma fans still out there!**_

* * *

No.

"It's not possible."

 _No._

Emma stared wide-eyed and horrified at the little stick in her hand, confirming what her thoughts, and the five other identical sticks on the counter had said: She was pregnant.

After the birth of their fourth child Emma vowed that it would be her last. She loved all of her children dearly but there was only so much she could handle at one time.

The twins had been enough of a hassle and then she found out she was pregnant again. He was unplanned but he was loved all the same.

With four boys and Will working most of the day, Emma found herself busy all the time and throughout the fourth's infancy she was exhausted and said _'no more_ '.

She discussed it with Will and they agreed that four children was more than enough and he agreed to get a vasectomy to eliminate any further accidents.

Yet there she sat, just 15 months since Nathan's birth, with six positive tests indicating one big accident.

Her head spun, her stomach twisting viciously as she gripped the counter tightly, unable to take her gaze away from the plus sign on the stick.

 _Had Will lied to her?_ That was her first thought in her panic.

 _Would he do that?_ The more rational part of her brain countered.

Had the doctor made a mistake in the procedure?

She knew that was rare but she knew Will agreed with her about not having more children.

She jumped out of her thoughts with the sound of a crash from down the hall followed then by the high pitched screaming of more than one of her sons.

She closed her eyes tightly, her stomach lurching and she felt the bile rising in the back of her throat. She grimaced as she swallowed it back down, clenching her jaw tightly, willing it not to come back up.

She breathed heavily, in and out through her nose to calm her queasy stomach.

However, luck was not on her side as there was another chorus of screams followed then by a shrill, "Moooom!"

The dreaded thought of what her children could be up to, and with four boys the possibilities were endless, and the thought of yet another one coming to add to the mayhem sent her flying to the toilet, emptying what little was in her stomach.

She whimpered quietly as there was suddenly a loud knocking on the door. "Mom! Benji pushed me!"

"I did not!" Another little voice countered.

"Mommy!"

"Oh God..." She whispered and the combination of the boys, the horrible taste in her mouth, and the burning at her eyes was enough to break the last will she had.

She collapsed onto the floor in a fit of sobs, the sound only muffled by her hands covering her face.

However the sound was enough to catch the boys' attention and they instantly stopped yelling and screaming at each other and there was silence for a few seconds.

Then there was another knock, quieter, followed by a timid, "Mommy?"

Emma could barely register the concerned call of her son and didn't hear the door open a moment later as she lost herself to her tears.

"Mommy!" A sharp gasp pierced the foggy haze around her mind and she felt herself being momentarily shaken and then another shrill cry and the sound of frantic footsteps leaving the room.

"Danny! Danny, come fast, Mommy's hurt!"

Another few moments and then she felt the hand of her eldest son, warm and gentle against her back.

A few quiet whimpers mixed in with the sounds of her own sobs. "Is Mommy okay?"

"Benji, get Mommy's towel." Danny's calm but concerned voice ordered and he continued to rub her back gently.

"Mom..." Danny's voice prodded gently near her ear and she felt the soft material of the towel being pressed against her hands. "Rest your head here, Mom."

She followed her son's guidance, her sobs slowly subsiding, but her body now shaking as she removed her hands from her face and rested her head against the towel.

"What's wrong with Mommy?" Another quiet little voice asked.

"Emmett, she's okay...can you get the hand towel and wet it a little bit?" Danny asked as he turned to his little brother.

Emmett nodded quietly, his little lips curved in a pout as he watched his mother in concern but then he took to his task. He scampered over to the towel rack and grabbed one of the hand towels, then stepped onto the stool near the sink and ran it under the water for a second.

Then he jumped off the stool and ran over to give it to his brother.

"Thank you, Emmett." Danny said, smiling at him briefly before returning to his mother, who had quieted completely but was still shaking, her eyes closed tightly.

He dabbed the cloth on her forehead and she let out a tiny gasp as a few droplets of water ran down her cheek.

Not too long ago, Will had gone through with Danny what to do if Emma had had a panic attack when he wasn't around. The amount of panic attacks had decreased significantly since Danny's birth but when Nathan was born, the stress of everything made them come back every so often.

His father's rules were mostly simple: keep her calm, comfortable and cool. There were sometimes she did not like to be touched during an attack and if she were to react negatively to touch, Will instructed him to give her space. Otherwise, rub her back gently.

So that is what Danny did. He put the towel under her head to keep her comfortable, used the wet hand towel to keep her cool and the rubbing on her back seemed to be calming her down, if slowly.

He heard the sounds of quiet whimpering behind him and looked over his shoulder to see his twin brothers, Benji and Emmett pressed against each other, with matching concerned expressions.

They were just four years old and couldn't understand what was happening. He knew his mother would be fine in just a few hours but they didn't.

"Benji, you know how to put in a movie, right?"

Benji sniffled, wiping his nose on his wrist before nodding.

"Okay, why don't you go put on _The Minions_ so you can watch with Emmett and Nate."

Benji pouted looking down to his mother. "But Mommy..."

"Mommy is okay, Benji." He assured him with a smile. "She just needs to be alone and she needs it to be quiet. Can you be quiet?"

Benji looked at Emmett and Emmett looked back at him as if deciding with each other if they could do what was asked.

Then they turned back in unison and nodded to their older brother.

"Good." Danny smiled at them. "Go ahead then."

Benji and Emmett stole one more glance at their mother and then ran out of the room, Emmett on Benji's heels, loudly reminding him that they needed to be quiet.

Emma was calmed now - her body still and quiet as she laid there with her eyes closed, listening to her sons interact.

She felt her body relax even more as soon as the twins left the room and she was just left with Danny's comforting presence beside her.

Danny remained quiet, remembering what his Dad had told him. It would only upset his mother more if he tried to talk to her and he had to wait for her to say something first.

He kept his hand resting softly on her back, rubbing in small circles and just waited.

It was another minute before the haze of panic cleared her mind. She had been breathing deeply and evenly, letting her son's touch comfort her and the coolness of the damp towel calm her.

She inhaled deeply, held it for a few seconds and then released it slowly before finally opening her eyes.

She stared at the wall for a few long moments and then slowly pushed herself up.

Danny kept his hand on her as he watched her carefully.

She let out a small sigh as she rested her back against the cabinet. She looked up as a small hand hesitantly covered her own and met the concerned gaze of her son.

She swallowed thickly, guilt swarming inside of her as she took in his expression. She knew Will had gone over with him what to do if she ever had a panic attack around them and he wasn't around, but she had hoped he never would have to use that knowledge.

"Oh Danny..." She whispered and reached her hand, still a little shaky, to touch the side of his face.

He leaned into her touch. "Are you alright, Mom?"

She forced a small smile. "I'm okay." She said softly, though she wasn't sure if that was true. The reason for her panic attack was once again nudging at her mind but she tried to push back the feeling of overwhelming panic that accompanied it.

"I'm so sorry you had to see that, baby." She whispered, rubbing her thumb against his cheek softly.

"It's okay." He replied just as softly. He had handled the situation perfectly but he was only eight years old and she could see it had shaken him up a little bit.

"Come here." She dropped her hand and opened her arms and he eyed her cautiously for a moment and then crawled into her arms. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close to her.

She ran her fingers through his curly hair and pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "You're a good boy, Danny. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom." He replied, his voice muffled by his mouth being buried in her shoulder.

Her throat tightened and she let out a slow shuddering breath, hugging him tighter for another minute.

It was then that she realized that she was on the bathroom floor and while she always made sure it was meticulously cleaned, it still caused a chill to go up her spine.

She patted Danny on the back and released her hold on him. Danny crawled back out of the hug and Emma immediately rose to her feet, brushing off her clothes.

Her legs shook slightly as she caught sight of the pregnancy tests still lying on the counter top. She let out a quick breath and quickly snatched them up in her hand and tossed them into the garbage.

Danny pressed his little brow together, looking past her to the trash can and then up to her curiously.

Her eyes were closed again as she took another few deep breaths and then looked back down at her son. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it, Danny."

He cocked his head but could see the tension in her body and didn't question it further.

"Now," She started calmly, softly, "Why don't you go join your brothers?"

He hesitated, crinkling his brow and she smiled at him, caressing his cheek once more. "I'm fine, Danny. I promise."

He bit his lip softly but then nodded and slowly walked out of the room, pausing once more in the doorway to look back at her and with a final, reassuring nod from her, disappeared into the hallway.

She let out a slow breath as soon as he was gone and she turned around to face the sink. She took the hand towel that was crumpled in her palm and ran it under the water to get it wet again.

She twisted the excess water out and then placed it over her face and tilted her head to keep it there for a few long seconds.

She grimaced when she swallowed again and still had that bitter taste on her tongue and quickly dropped the towel and grabbed her toothbrush to brush her teeth.

She brushed until her gums bled and then washed all traces of vomit and blood out of her mouth.

She gripped the side of the sink tightly as she looked herself in the mirror.

Her face was red, damp strands of hair stuck to the sides of her face, and her eyes were red from crying.

Without looking, she quickly lowered down the toilet seat and then flushed the toilet before sitting on the closed toilet seat.

She leaned forward and buried her head in her hands. Her panic attack was over but anxious thoughts still raced through her mind.

 _Oh what was she going to do?_

* * *

School had let out a few days ago for the kids but as principal Will still had to do a few last things before his school year ended. He always went in for half a day so he could spend the rest of the day with Emma and the kids.

Danny and even the twins who had just finished pre-school were at school all day so Emma was just left with taking care of baby Nate, which she could more than handle.

However, once school let out, taking care of four boys was a little more daunting for her so Will promised her he'd be home for the afternoons to help even if that meant working into early July.

So at just a little past one o'clock Will walked in through the door, calling out a greeting to whoever was around.

He heard a resounding echo of "Daddy!" from the living room and chuckled to himself as the background noise of the Minion movie reached his ears a few seconds later.

He placed his satchel in the hall closet and then walked the few paces into the living room, smiling at the sight of his four sons all cuddled up on the couch together.

His eyes flickered briefly to the television and then wandered around the room and his smile slowly faded as he caught sight of the mess.

Toys were strewn everywhere, which really wasn't that unusual despite Emma's many attempts at keeping it organized, but the boys were covered in paper plates and peanut butter.

Peanut Butter and Jelly was a favorite lunch choice of the boys and it usually did get the younger ones messy but Emma would never let them leave the kitchen in the state they were in.

She wouldn't let them eat in the living room, period. So their state was just a little alarming to him.

"Hi Daddy!" Benji waved to him happily once he saw him and Emmett mirrored his twin a second later.

Will offered them a weak smile. "Hello boys." He greeted. "What's going on here?" He directed the question and his attention to his eldest, sitting on the side closest to him, eyeing him with a look of concern.

"We're watching the Minions!" Emmett answered happily.

"For the third time." Danny added in annoyance.

"Where's your mother?" Will asked a little quieter as he walked up to stand beside Danny, looking down at him inquisitively.

Danny's frown deepened and he leaned in closer to his father. "She's upstairs in bed." He said and Will's brow shot up.

"Is she alright?" He asked, his concern for his wife rising.

Danny shrugged once. "She had a panic attack earlier in the morning." He explained and Will's eyes widened.

"What? Why didn't you call me Danny?"

"She told me not to!" He replied. "She said she just needed to rest for a bit."

Will knew exactly how bad Emma's panic attacks could get and he hated the thought of the kids being exposed to their mother in that condition, being powerless to help her.

"What happened?" Will asked a little more calmly but his worry evident in his voice.

"She threw up I think..." Danny answered and Will grimaced, knowing how much his wife hated that in particular. "I don't know, Benji found her and called for me. She was crying on the floor but I did what you told me to, Dad and then she stopped."

Will's brow twitched as he reached out to touch his son's shoulder gently. "Are you okay?" He asked softly. It was always hard for him to see Emma that way he couldn't imagine what an eight year old must be feeling about seeing his mother that way.

To his surprise, Danny offered up a small, half smile and nodded his head. "Yeah, Dad I'm okay. I knew I had to help Mom so I did."

Will felt a swell of pride at the bravery of his son and he moved his hand from his shoulder to his head, running his fingers gently through his red curls. "Thank you, Danny."

Danny smiled again and Will smiled back for a second before he sighed and looked over his shoulder to the hallway.

Then he dropped his hand and addressed Danny, "I'm going to check on her, okay?"

Danny nodded. "Okay."

Will patted his shoulder gently once more before he turned and left the room, heading towards their bedroom.

It had been a little while since Emma had one of her panic attacks so he wondered what triggered it. Danny said she was sick but was that a result of the attack or was the attack triggered by her sickness?

The last time Emma had the stomach virus he could barely get her to calm down - she was in tears during the whole 24 hour duration of the virus and he had to take the day off to take care of the boys. Thankfully it was before Nate but the twins were still young and dealing with crying toddlers plus his sick, miserable wife made that day not a very pleasant one.

He truly did hope that it was not another stomach virus.

He knocked on the door quietly before opening the door slowly. "Em?" He peered into the dimly lit room and found his wife curled up on the bed, her back facing him.

"Emma?" He called again a little louder as he walked into the room. He slipped onto the opposite side of the bed, reaching out to gently touch her arm.

"Honey, are you awake?"

She flinched slightly at his touch, curling up further into herself and he frowned deeply in concern. There were only a few times when Emma shied away from his touch.

"What's the matter, Emma?" He asked softly. "Danny said you were sick?"

"Will..." She muttered, her voice low and calm, not moving from her position. "I need to ask you something." She continued and he squeezed her arm gently in acknowledgement. "And I need you to answer it honestly."

His brow twitched. "Of course, Emma." If she wasn't sick he might have been offended by that request. They were married for nearly ten years, surely she knew he wouldn't lie to her?

He watched her intently and her jaw tightened slightly before she asked, "Did you ever get the vasectomy?"

Suddenly his breath caught in his chest, his eyes widening slowly as a chill ran up his spine.

Emma finally rolled around onto her back at his silence and fixed a hard stare on him, her eyes rimmed red from crying. "Did you?" She asked again in a whisper.

He closed his eyes momentarily and let out a sigh, pressing his lips together as he shook his head. "No. No...I didn't."

A soft whimper passed her lips and his eyes popped open to look at her. She had now averted her gaze, her hand covering her mouth as she shook her head slowly back and forth.

"I made the appointment, Emma." He said quickly, trying to reassure her. "I did and then I got so busy that I had to reschedule and then it just kept happening that I couldn't make the appointment so I cancelled it and vowed to make it once things calmed down at work when I knew I could actually make an appointment."

"But you never did." Emma said, lowering her hand from her mouth and her voice was so devoid of emotion it almost scared him.

He sighed again. "No...I forgot all about it, Em...I'm sorry."

Her eyes slowly moved to meet his and her bottom lip started to tremble. Tears prickled at her eyes but behind the tears was something even more terrifying: Anger.

"How could you do that?" She whispered, her voice shaking.

He swallowed thickly and hesitantly reached out to take her hands in his. As soon as his fingers brushed across hers however, a spark lit and she flew off the bed, backing away from him like a terrified, angry animal.

His eyes widened at her reaction and he lowered his hands to his lap, inching across the bed towards her slowly. "Emma I'm sorry." He said again. "I just let it slip my mind but I promise I'll make the appointment and do it, no matter what. I can go do it right now -" He motioned over his shoulder.

Her eyes flashed angrily, her hands curling into fists at her sides. "Well it's a bit too late now, Will!" She cried, her voice reaching the top of its range.

He eyed her warily, extending his hands out in front of him, shaking his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Emma?"

She let out a choked sob, her hand covering her mouth momentarily to suppress it and two tears rolled simultaneously down both of her cheeks.

She let out a breath, her jaw trembling. "You knew. You knew you didn't get it and you didn't even tell me. You didn't tell me and you knew and still you let us have unprotected sex."

His brow furrowed for a moment, cocking his head and then his eyes slowly widened as a realization swept over him. His breath caught and his stomach twisted as he suddenly knew why Emma was so upset. "Oh God..." He whispered. "Emma...are you..."

She took a few quick, deep breaths and then nodded, steadying her voice. "Yes. Yes, Will, I'm pregnant."

He let out a breath, closing his eyes as the truth hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn't know what part of his brain, probably the side overcome with shock, provoked him to ask her, "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure?" She repeated in a whisper and he could hear the thunder behind her voice and he cracked his eyes open, already regretting asking that question.

"I've missed my last period, I've been feeling sick all week and there are _six_ positive pregnancy tests in the bathroom trash that say yes, I'm pretty sure, Will!" Her voice started out low but by the end she was full on screaming at him and he winced at the high caliber of her voice, briefly hoping that the kids didn't hear her.

"Okay, okay." He said quickly, holding his hands out again before he crawled across the bed.

Another sob escaped her lips as she once again covered her mouth, her eyes closing as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks.

Will's heart was pounding in his chest as he rose from the bed and slowly made his way over to her. Shock was the most prominent emotion he felt, and he didn't even know how to process the information yet, all he knew was that his wife was in distress, it was his fault, and he needed to fix it.

"Emma..." He whispered and he reached out towards her.

"Don't!" She snapped, taking another step back as his fingers brushed across her arm and he pausing, dropping his hands to his sides.

She glared at him through her tears but soon sobs overtook her entire body.

He swallowed thickly, his heart breaking at the sight of her, knowing he had done this to her. He did have every intention of getting the procedure but as his life was a constant swarm of work plus four boys - he had no time and soon it had been forgotten.

"Oh Will..." She choked out a few seconds later. The anger was gone and what was left was despair.

He tried again to reach out to her and when she didn't flinch away at his touch he immediately brought her into his arms, pressing her against his chest.

She grabbed onto his shirt tightly and cried openly into his chest and he felt tears tug at his own eyes as he held onto her tightly, burying his face in her hair.

"What are we going to do?" She sobbed, her voice muffled by his chest.

He let out a slow breath, tightening his arms again, and rubbing one hand slowly up and down her back, trying to ease her quivering form.

"We'll work it out, Emma." He told her softly yet confidently. "We always do. Nate was a surprise." He reminded her.

Emma sniffled a few times and then pulled out of his arms and his heart broke at the sight of her tear stained, red cheeks, and panic in her wide, brown eyes.

"Yes, he was and we agreed that we never wanted that to happen again." She countered, a bit of an edge in her voice. "He barely survived his birth, Will." Her voice cracked and her eyes welled up again.

Will felt his own throat growing tight at the memory. Emma had been in labor for hours with slow progression, which had never happened with the other two pregnancies, and suddenly Nathan's heart rate dropped to a dangerous rate. They had to do an Emergency C-Section to get him out safely and they barely got a chance to see him before they rushed him to the NICU. He was there for almost two weeks, and Emma, because of the stress of the whole situation, had a severe panic attack that left her in the hospital just as long as Nathan was.

That had gone down as the worst two weeks of Will's life. He felt completely helpless with his newborn stuck in an incubator barely able to breathe on his own and his wife, recovering from invasive surgery and a panic attack.

That was the main reason why they had decided not to have anymore children - they both knew neither of them could be put through that again.

Which is why Will was absolutely kicking himself for not getting the procedure when he said he would. Emma was pregnant again and after Nate, they both knew the risks that lay ahead of them.

Emma let out a shuddering breath, covering her mouth for a second before speaking again. "I'm in my 40's now, Will...do you know how dangerous that can be? What if my body can't handle this?"

She shook her head frantically, her hands starting to flail wildly around her as she worked herself up into a panic. "What if we can't handle another baby? Nate is still so young and the twins...oh gosh, Will, we can't afford another baby."

Will noticed his wife shaking, her knees bending just slightly and his eyes widened and he reached out to catch her as she slowly slunk to the ground.

They both sat on the ground, Will wrapping up Emma in his arms tightly, holding her as she shook.

He continued to murmur generic words of comfort against her ear as he rubbed her back comfortingly.

Eventually they both fell into silence, using the other's body as a simple comfort, both of them drifting off into their own world of thought, worrying and pondering about the future.

After a long few minutes, Emma had gone so still Will had almost thought she fell asleep.

"Emma?" He whispered.

She hummed quietly in response and tightened her grip on his shirt.

He hesitated, going silent for a long moment as he thought of what to say.

"Whatever needs to be done...we'll do it to make this work."

She let out a long, shuddering breath. "Five children, Will." Her voice was dead, the shock of the situation taking its toll on her. "We'll have five. How..." She breathed out and then paused and he waited, knowing she wasn't done talking and needed to collect herself. "...can we..." She continued slowly. "...do this... _five_..."

"I know it is a lot and...you're right it won't be easy. And I cannot apologize enough for letting this happen to you." He swallowed thickly and his jaw trembled slightly as a sudden thought occurred to him.

"Emma." He whispered. "If you don't want this...if you can't...you can always...I mean, have you considered..." He couldn't get the word out but he knew he had to lay it on the table as option for her.

Emma seemed to catch on after a minute and she pulled away from him, her eyes widening in horror. "No." Her voice shook but there was nothing but certainty behind the word and her eyes welled up with tears. "No, Will I couldn't...I could never..."

Her hand shook as she moved it down to rest over her flat abdomen and she shook her head. "It's still our baby." Her lips trembled and a few more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm just so scared, Will."

He immediately pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly, closing his eyes as he buried his face in her hair and she cried into his chest.

"I know, Emma. So am I."

* * *

Will made the appointment to get the vasectomy as soon as he could. He had Emma stay in the room with him as he made the appointment and then a week later she drove him to get the procedure.

His soreness was proof enough that it had actually happened. It had been a rough few days, getting over the shock of the situation and then going to Emma's first prenatal check up.

Having been through three pregnancies already, she just nodded along blankly to the doctor's instructions, trying to keep her emotions in check.

She finally managed a little bit of a smile when they viewed the ultrasound but the reality of the situation sunk in quickly after and she burst into tears.

Her hormones, combined with morning sickness and taking care of four children made her already natural anxious attitude increase tenfold.

The morning sickness thankfully stopped only after a couple weeks but Will had managed to rework his work schedule for the rest of the summer in order to help Emma as much as he could.

Tensions ran high among them for months in what was no doubt the most stressful of Emma's pregnancies.

Nathan had been a surprise also and that pregnancy came with a little more anxiety than the rest. The twins pregnancy came of a shock because even though they had both agreed that it was time to have another baby, they were not expecting twins. When Emma first received the news she didn't move for about ten solid minutes until Will was able to coax her out of it and reassure her everything would be alright.

This pregnancy was worse than both of those combined. While they both loved the unborn child and wouldn't consider it unwanted, it came to be out of a false sense of security that Will had given her.

She said she forgave him but she was constantly filled with such despair and anxiety that guilt churned his stomach every day.

He hoped and prayed that once the baby was born, things would change. That having the physical being and not just an invisible being growing inside her would change Emma's attitude.

It wasn't until Emma's 20 week check up that things finally started turning around for the better.

It had started off as a stressful morning.

It was late September and Benji and Emmett had given them trouble about going to school and even Nate was being fussy.

Will could sense Emma was almost at the end of her nerves, and was this close to a breakdown, so he quickly took over the situation, convincing her to take a step away and relax.

He managed to get all the kids to school and dropped Nate off at daycare for the morning.

He also took the morning off to accompany Emma to her appointment. He tried to make every one of them because he made a vow that he wouldn't make her feel alone in any of these long nine months.

Emma was quiet but a little more calm than she had been earlier in the day as they headed towards the doctor's office.

Will was smart enough not to try and talk to her, not if he wanted his head to stay attached.

When they got to the doctor's office and sat in the waiting area, Emma's anxiety and tension levels skyrocketed. Despite her strong progress over the last ten years she still reacted badly to being in certain places she considered dirty. Doctor's offices were one of those places.

He dared to take her hand and when she looked over at him, eyes wide and brimming with unshed tears, he just gave her a small, reassuring smile.

Her lips twitched up for a moment and she visibly relaxed a little, leaning into him.

He mentally sighed in relief. He was glad he was still able to have that calming effect on her.

Emma was called in first to have the internal exam and then fifteen minutes later Will was able to join her.

It was an experience they had a few dozen times, but Will still felt that thrill of joy every time the Doctor waved the wand over Emma's swollen belly, showing them their child.

"Everything looks good." Dr. Hawthorne said with a smile. Dr. Hawthorne had been Emma's OB-GYN for all of Emma's pregnancies since Danny. Emma had a level of trust in the young woman that Will had rarely seen her have in another person that wasn't himself. He knew having her at least made this pregnancy just a little less stressful than it might have been had there been another doctor.

"Would you like to find out what you're having?"

"Yes!" Both parents said simultaneously. Danny had been the only one they waited until the birth for. Once they found out they were having twins, Emma knew she needed to be as prepared as possible for their arrival. And once she had the experience and comfort of knowing in advance they had found out for Nate too. So it wasn't even a question that they would find out.

"Okay." Dr. Hawthorne laughed at their enthusiasm and turned back to the screen. She wiggled the wand around a little more on Emma's belly until she found the right spot.

Both Emma and Will held their breath, eyes flickering anxiously between the doctor and the screen.

Dr. Hawthorne hit a button on the keyboard, pausing the image and then turned her full attention and bright smile to the expectant parents.

"Congratulations...it's a girl."

The couple stared in momentary shock at the doctor.

Emma was the first one to break the silence with a small squeak. "A girl?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and Will glanced over at her to find her eyes round and glistening with tears. "Are - are you sure?"

"I'm positive." Dr. Hawthorne confirmed with a small laugh.

Emma gasped, never taking her eyes off the screen as she groped blindly for Will's hand.

Will caught her movements and immediately caught her hand in his, squeezing gently as tears filled his own eyes. "Will…" She whispered.

Will brought her her hand to his lips, brushing a kiss over her knuckles as he let out a happy, relieved sob. "I know, Em…"

Emma finally blinked, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as turned to look at him. "It's a girl, Will."

Then a smile like he had not seen on her in months broke across her face and he couldn't help but echo it.

"I'll give you two a few minutes." Dr. Hawthorne said, sensing the couple needed a private moment.

They barely registered her as she got up and left the room.

Will swooped in and pressed his lips to hers in a loving kiss. Emma broke it not seconds later with her giggling laughter.

Will brought his free hand to her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

They pressed their foreheads together for a few blissful silent moments and then simultaneously looked back to the monitor where the image of their baby girl was still frozen.

"I can't believe it." Emma whispered in awe.

They loved their boys beyond all rhyme and reason but when the twins came along and they had to deal with three little boys, despite Danny's relatively good behavior, it added to their stress levels. Then Nate was just another level. Another level of love, certainly but four boys was quite the undertaking. After Danny they wanted a girl but fate had other plans.

Until now, that is.

"Me neither." Will whispered. "We finally got our little girl."

Emma swallowed thickly, smiling.

"Will." She murmured and he sniffled once before turning towards her.

"Hmmm?"

"I...I'm sorry."

His brow furrowed. "What on Earth for Emma?"

She bit her lip. "For how I've been acting during this pregnancy."

"Hey," he immediately cut her off, squeezing her hand and looking directly into her eyes, "Emma, you have nothing to apologize for. It was a surprise and...it was my fault."

She shook her head. "It's not anyone's fault, Will." She whispered with a small smile. "It's a baby, it's our baby and maybe we weren't ready for it...for _her_..." She corrected and a smile blossomed across both their faces. "But...we've always wanted a girl. And I..well, I had accepted after Nate we weren't going to have one but maybe...this was supposed to happen." She turned her eyes back to the screen. "I...I would have loved it even if it was another boy but it's a girl...she's our girl and I…" Her bottom lip trembled and a few more tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm so happy." She finished in a choked whisper and Will immediately leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to the side of her head.

He let a tear escape as he rested his head against her shoulder, staring at the monitor. "So am I…"

Emma let out a few shaky breaths before turning to him, eyes shining with tears and joy. "I love you, Will Schuester."

He grinned back at her. "And I love you, Emma Schuester."

He released her hand and moved it down to the swell of her belly, ignoring the sticky jelly that smeared his hands. "And we love you too baby girl Schuester."

Emma let out a small sobbing laugh. "We do." She sniffled. "We love you so much."

They turned to each other and shared in another loving kiss. They both knew that even though there were surely to be troubled times ahead, that they would be alright.

* * *

A/N: Part two will be up either tomorrow or the day after so stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I told myself I'd have this last part up before Christmas so here it is! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this little bit of joy for the season!**_

* * *

The joyful news of their baby girl had lifted a significant weight off of Emma's shoulders for the rest of her pregnancy.

It was still a struggle dealing with four boys but Danny was a tremendous help with his younger brothers. He entertained the twins so Emma could focus all her attention on Nate who was a little more needy.

At her 30th week, Emma was put on bed rest due to her naturally high stress levels, her age and to try to prevent what had happened to Nate.

However, this added another level of stress as she wondered how she would take care of the boys.

They couldn't afford to keep Nate in daycare all day for the whole week while Will and the boys were at school.

Then like a God send, Will's parents volunteered to help. Will's mother had quit drinking many years ago after a medical scare and the two lived close enough to commute for a few hours everyday.

It was only Nate, as the others were in school so between the three of them, they were able to take care of the almost three year old.

It was nearing the end of February, just two weeks before her scheduled c-section, and during one of Ohio's snow storms that Emma went into labor.

The storm had hit over night, blanketing all of Lima in over a foot of snow and effectively closing the schools, much to the delight of their children.

After a nice big breakfast, Will saddled up all the boys in their snow coats and then headed outside to play with them and enjoy the freshly fallen snow.

Emma pulled up the rocking chair in the sitting room to the front window, with a nice warm mug of tea to watch them.

She had been feeling twinges of pain all morning but pushed it aside as Braxton Hicks or the baby kicking a little too hard.

However as the hour drew on and she watched her boys build snowmen and igloos and have a massive snowball fight, the pain grew sharper and little by little grew closer together.

It became too much to ignore after almost two hours of watching the boys in the snow.

It was still a little early for the baby to come so fear and panic gripped at her heart and tears pooled at her eyes.

After one particularly strong contraction she managed to get herself up and waddle over to the door, trying to keep herself breathing slow and even.

She pulled open the door and held tightly onto the door frame, blinking as a rush of frigid air hit her.

"Will?" She called out to him as he ran past with Nate in his arms while being chased by the twins each with snow balls in their hands.

He stopped at the sound of her voice and turned to look at her.

There was a whine of protest from the boys as he walked away from them and towards his wife, Nate now rested on his hip.

His cheeks and nose were bright pink from the cold and he frowned as he stopped in front of her.

"What's wrong, Em?" He asked in concern, immediately seeing the panic and tears in her eyes.

"Will…" She tried to keep her voice calm but her bottom lip trembled and her voice quivered. "Will, I think…no...I know the baby is coming."

Will's brow shot up and he glanced down to her large, protruding abdomen where her hand rested protectively.

"What, now?"

Another ripple of pain shot through Emma's abdomen and she cried out, gripping her stomach as she leaned against the doorway.

Will's eyes widened. "I'll take that as a yes." He turned around and called to his sons still playing in the yard.

"Daaaad," Benji whined as he trudged up with Emmett and Danny close behind, "Can't we stay out for a little longer?"

"Sorry buddy, I don't mean to cut the fun short but Mommy is going to have the baby now."

All three pairs of eyes widened. Emmett and Benji looked past their father to their mother, who was breathing through the end of her contraction, and focused curious eyes on her belly.

Will placed Nate down and gave him a gentle push inside the house. He waddled against all his heavy padding and Will reached out to support Emma.

The contraction had passed but she leaned against him as he guided her back into the house with the boys eagerly following behind.

"Are you alright?" He asked her softly.

"I'm going into labor two weeks early in a high risk pregnancy in the middle of a snow storm…what do you think?" Emma's voice rose in panic with each word and Will placed both hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"Emma, calm down. It will be alright. Two weeks is not too terribly early, we just need to get you to the hospital and everything will be fine."

She let out a shuddering breath, blinking past tears. "How are we supposed to do that, Will? The roads haven't been plowed!"

"I…" He reached for words to reassure his desperate wife but none came to him as his own panic began to set in.

Emma's lips trembled as she watched her silent husband.

As her breathing became sharp and shallow, Will tried to steel his own nerves and concentrate on Emma before she launched into a full blown panic attack.

"We can call an ambulance." Will told her and her eyes widened even further. "The snow is not that deep and those emergency vehicles are good at getting through."

Emma slowly shook her head back and forth. "But...it's not...it's not an emergency, Will there could be people who really need it…." She trailed off with a whimper of pain as another contraction ripped through her.

"Em, you do really need it. You are scheduled for a c-section because it could be a risk to deliver naturally. We need to get you to the hospital before our baby girl decides she wants to barge her way out of there."

Emma let out a half sob- half laugh and Will gave her a small smile as she nodded, sniffling. "Okay. Okay you're right." She let out a shuddering breath as she glanced past Will to Danny who was dutifully helping his little brothers out of their snow gear.

"What about the kids, Will?" She whispered, panic creeping back into her voice.

Will let out a slow breath as he looked over his shoulder at their boys. He shook his head, turning back to Emma. "Ordinarily I'd drop them off at my parents but with the snow it'd take forever to get there. We'll have to take them with us."

"Take them?" Emma squeaked loudly which brought the concerned attention of the three eldest boys to her. "Will, we can't…how can we...I need you with me, Will and they'll be no one to watch them."

"Emma breathe." Will cut her off calmly, rubbing his hand soothingly across her back. "They are good boys...we'll figure out something."

Emma let out a few helpless whimpers and leaned forward, resting her head on Will's chest. "Why is this happening now?"

Will gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer and resting his head against hers. "Everything will be alright." He tried to reassure her as she shook in his arms.

They stayed that way for another minute before another contraction hit Emma and she let out a small cry of pain. Will rubbed her back until it passed and then pulled away to look into her tear filled eyes

"You get whatever you need, Emma. I'll call the ambulance and your doctor."

Emma let out a shaky breath and nodded before she pulled out of Will's arms and started to wobble towards the bedroom.

Will spent the next several minutes doing just as he said. He called the ambulance and Emma's doctor and then tried to keep the boys calm as he tried to explain that they were all going to the hospital.

It took almost twenty minutes for the ambulance to arrive and another ten for Will to convince Emma to go in it by herself while Will followed behind with the kids in the car because they all couldn't fit in the ambulance.

It was a long and anxiety filled trip back to the hospital. Following behind the sirens and sensing their parents' fears, the twins had started crying which in turn had Nate start to cry. Danny tried to soothe them but he was battling his own worry for his mother and Will was pretty much useless from where he sat behind the wheel.

As the ambulance pulled into the emergency room entrance, Will drove past towards the parking lot which only caused the twins to cry harder at losing sight of their mother.

The lot, thankfully, had already been plowed.

Will quickly hurried to get all the kids out of the car. He paused as his hastening only caused the twins to react badly and he took a breath, calm himself.

"Hey guys." He started calmly, resting one hand on each or their laps as they still rested in their car seats and his gentle tone immediately started to calm them down.

"I need you to listen to me, alright?"

The boys sniffled and let out a few little whimpers but nodded. "Okay, good." He smiled at them warmly. "I know you are worried about Mommy but Mommy is going to be okay. She's at the hospital now and I know the hospital seems scary but it's a good place full of good people who are going to take care of Mommy. But you know what? Mommy is a little scared too so she needs us to be brave for her. Do you think you guys can be big and brave for Mommy?"

The boys let out a few more whimpers, their little lips wobbling but they nodded. "Yes, Daddy…" Benji said and Emmett echoed a half a second later.

Will sighed a little in relief. "Good boys." He briefly glanced at his eldest who still looked concerned but he nodded in quiet understanding. Will smiled at him and then continued to get the boys out of their seats.

He held Nate against his hip as Benji and Emmett stood at his feet, peering up at him through tear glossed eyes.

"Danny, would you mind taking your brothers?" Will asked.

Danny shook his head and moved to quietly stand between the twins, grabbing both of their hands.

Benji and Emmett for once didn't protest and obediently walked with their brother as they followed their father through the cold and snow towards the emergency room.

Will walked hurriedly up to the front window and the nurse looked up, her eyes shifting between Will and the children, clearly wondering which one was in need of medical attention.

"My wife, Emma Schuester, was just brought in by ambulance." Will explained frantically to the nurse.

The nurse nodded in acknowledgement and immediately started to search the system.

"Ah, okay Mr. Schuester it appears your wife was taken to the maternity ward. It looks like she's been assigned to room 405. Let me just get your visitor passes and I'll send you right up."

Will sighed but nodded, anxious to get to his panicked wife.

The nurse quickly made up a few passes for Will and the kids, all except Nate.

The nurse directed them around the corner toward the main entrance. Will thanked her and nodded for Danny and the twins to follow him.

Will found his way to the elevators with ease, having been through this routine three times already.

He was practically bouncing on his heels as they rode the elevator to the fourth floor but tried to remain calm for the sake of his clearly worried children.

He shifted a wiggly Nate in his arms as the elevator doors opened and they were immediately met with the sounds of newborns crying.

"Daddy?" a little voice whimpered from behind him.

He glanced behind him to see Emmett and Benji looking around, tears filling their eyes.

"Why is there a lot of crying here?" Benji wondered, nervously.

Will let out a small breath and turned around, kneeling as best he could with the extra weight of a two year old in his arms.

"Because this is where all the babies are, Benji." He explained calmly and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Are the babies hurt?" Emmett wondered with a sniffle.

"Is Mommy's baby hurt?" Benji followed up and his big brown eyes, so much like Emma's, made Will's heart broke.

"No, No…" He reassured them both. "The babies are here because they are still so very little and they need a little extra care before they are brought home to all their mommies and daddies but they're okay."

"Really?" Emmett asked and Will smiled at him, reaching a hand to run through his son's ginger curls.

"Really."

"Can we see Mommy?" Benji asked.

"Mommy?" Nate echoed. "Where's Mommy?"

Will smiled a little sadly. "Mommy is having the baby now so you won't be able to see her until the baby is here."

"Mr. Schuester?"

He stood up and turned around as she spotted a nurse approaching him. He let a small sigh of relief at the sight of her. She was around their age and incredibly friendly, she had been with Emma through all of their deliveries including Danny's when he barely made it to see the birth.

"Annette." He took a few steps toward her anxiously. "Have you seen her? How is she?"

Annette gave him a small smile. "Well, she seemed to be going into a panic attack when she first arrived without you but we were able to calm her down a little when we explained it'd be no good for the baby. We've got her set up with some oxygen, just to keep her calm as we prepare for the…" She paused to glance behind him, suddenly aware of all of Will's young children watching her with anxious curiosity. "...the delivery." She finished carefully.

Will nodded, feeling a little relief wash over him that she was in good hands. He wanted to ask more but he knew he couldn't with the children around.

At that thought he felt his panic rising again and he looked at Annette urgently. "I...I need to be with her but…" He trailed off helplessly looking at Nate, who was growing more and more restless.

Annette nodded in understanding. "If you feel comfortable you can leave them here at the nurses station." She motioned behind her.

Will peered over to the group of nurses sitting behind the desks and the one closest to him lifted her head and smiled.

He swallowed thickly. He knew nurses had a job to do and couldn't keep an eye on his children all the time but he couldn't leave Emma alone in this.

With a decisive nod he turned around to address Danny. "Danny," he stated seriously and he looked up, his eyes widening in concern. "I need to go check up on your Mom...so I need you to stay here with your brothers and watch them for a little while. Can you do that?"

Danny clenched his jaw but nodded furrowing his brow seriously. "Yeah, I can do it, Dad."

Will smiled softly, a small swell of pride rising in his chest at his son's sense of responsibility.

"Thank you. I'm going to call your grandparents and let them know we're here. They might be able to come if the roads are clear but I need you to stay with the nurses until they do, ok?"

Danny nodded again. "Ok."

Will let out another breath. "Okay." He muttered and then turned around to face Annette who was watching them with a small smile.

She held out her arms for Nate and Will dropped a kiss to his son's head before handing him over.

"Daddy!" Nate whined, immediately reaching back out for him.

"Nate, you need to be good for Miss Annette." He instructed gently and Nate pouted.

"Daddy, I go with you!" Nate insisted and Will resisted a sigh, his impatience growing.

"No, Nate." He repeated sternly and the little boy's eyes widened at his stern tone. Then Will softened his tone, "Your brothers will be with you." He assured him.

Will then glanced behind him to see the other three looking up at him worriedly. He smiled at them and reached around to place a hand on Danny's back and giving him a little push towards Annette.

Danny went along with his father's guided hand but the other two resisted a little, looking back at their father.

"It will be alright. You guys will have fun!" He flickered a hopefully gaze up to Annette and she smiled with a reassuring nod.

"Come on boys. Your Dad is going to take good care of your Mommy and soon you'll be able to see her and the new baby but right now we have to wait right over here."

With one arm expertly holding Nate to her hip, she started to guide the boys to the nurses station, with only a little bit of whimpering protest by the younger ones.

Once they were safely behind the desks and being taken care of, Will sighed in relief that at least he had one less thing to worry about.

As he headed in the direction of Emma's room, he fished out his phone to dial his parents.

"Hello, son." The elder Schuester greeted.

"Dad," Will breathed in a panic, "Look I know it's just snowed but I'm at the hospital with Emma...she went into labor a little early."

"What? Oh dear is she alright?"

"I think so but to be honest Dad, I'm not sure. I had to take all the kids with us and Emma went in an ambulance…" He ran his free hand through his hair, wincing at the memory of Emma's panicked face when she had to go alone and he picked up his pace to get to her room.

"I hate to ask this of you but as soon as the roads are plowed…"

"We will be there as soon as we can." Will's father assured him and Will let out another sigh.

"Thank you, Dad...hey I have to go, I'm about to see Emma." He said as he approached her room.

"Okay, I'll see you soon and good luck son...to you both."

Will thanked him again and then hung up. He knocked on the door and then opened it, taking large strides into the room.

The first thing he heard was the doctor's soothing words and Emma's labored breathing coupled with short whimpers of pain and fear.

Her eyes caught his as soon as he came into view and she burst into immediate tears.

"Will, oh Will!" She cried, reaching out her hand toward him and he fought back tears of his own as he ran to her side, immediately taking her hand.

"I'm here, Emma." He kissed her knuckles and then used his free hand to brush strands of sweaty red hair away from her face.

She sobbed in relief and leaned into his touch.

Dr. Hawthorne smiled at their tender reunion. "You got here just in time." She told him. "They are prepping the delivery room for her now. It should be soon."

Will sniffled, leaning into the bed to be as close to Emma as possible. He ran his thumb in gentle, comforting circles against the back of her hand while the other played with her hair. He looked up at Dr. Hawthorne, worry in his eyes.

"How is she? The-the baby?"

"She is doing just fine." Dr. Hawthorne assured as she motioned to one of the monitors beside Emma. "Her heart rate is a little on the high side but it's still in the normal range...nothing that we are concerned about but we would still like to perform a cesarean section to keep Mommy and baby as stress free as possible for the delivery."

Will nodded, relief sweeping over him and glanced back to Emma. Her eyes were still wide and filled with tears but she had calmed down significantly since he came into the room.

"How are you?" He asked gently and she sniffled but gave him a watery smile.

"O-okay." She squeaked and her bottom lip then trembled. "I'm scared, Will…"

He squeezed her hand and then leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Dr. Hawthorne said the baby is doing just fine. Our little girl is okay, Em...she's going to be okay."

Emma nodded and then flinched as another contraction hit her. She breathed through it, squeezing Will's hand until it passed.

"Where are the boys?" She asked in a near whisper

"The nurses out front are going to look after them until my parents get here." Will said.

Emma nodded again, letting out a shaky breath. "I was so afraid you wouldn't make it." She confessed quietly.

His lips twitched as he brushed her hair. "I was right behind you the whole time. Just had to get the boys looked after...I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"I know." She whispered, her voice shaking and he kissed her knuckles again.

"Doctor?" a nurse walked into the room, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Operating Room 3 is popped and ready."

Emma squeaked in fear and gripped tightly on Will's hand.

"Emma, honey, look at me." He said calmly, gently and she turned panicked eyes on him.

"We're going to have a baby now. In just a little bit we're going to have our little girl and everything is going to be fine."

Emma's lips trembled and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. Will leaned forward to capture her lips in a short but tender kiss and she whimpered against his lips.

"Okay, Emma...are you ready?" Dr. Hawthorne asked with a small smile.

Emma let out a breath and looked to her, nodding her head.

"Then let's deliver your daughter."

Will held Emma's hand all the way down to the operating room until he was forced away from her to put on the surgical clothing.

He was at her side again as soon as he was able. He made sure she kept her eyes on him as the doctor and nurses prepped her for surgery, knowing just the thought of it would cause a panic attack.

Will talked her through the whole delivery, keeping his eyes on her despite his overwhelming curiosity to see their daughter being delivered. He knew he had to keep Emma calm to protect both herself and the baby.

It was only when Dr. Hawthorne stood up straight with a bloody little baby in her arms did Will finally break the gaze.

His eyes were drawn immediately to the small being in the doctor's arms and he held his breath as a nurse cleared the baby's mouth and nose.

"Will...Will what is it? Is she ok?" Emma's voice squeaked in panic and her questions were answered just a few seconds later as a wailing shriek left the newborn's mouth.

Will and Emma both let out simultaneous sobs of relief at the very healthy sound.

Will squeezed Emma's hand but didn't look away from their daughter still in Dr. Hawthorne arms. Dr. Hawthorne looked up and smiled at Will, giving him a small nod before moving away to get the baby cleaned up.

As Dr. Hawthorne disappeared from view with baby, Emma immediately froze, her panic visibly rising. "Will, where are they taking her? Is she okay?"

Will blinked and shoved down his own panic at the memory of when they had whisked Nate away immediately to the NICU.

However, Dr. Hawthorne moved only a few feet away, placing the still crying baby down to get her weight and height and get her cleaned and wrapped up.

"She's fine." Will breathed in relief and blinked again, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Then he finally looked back at Emma. "Emma she's fine…" He sniffled. "They're just cleaning her up. She's fine."

"Yes, she is." Dr. Hawthorne confirmed with a smile, walking back into Emma's view. "She's a perfectly healthy little girl."

Emma just gaped at the doctor in silence, a combination of panic and the anesthesia delaying her processing time.

She looked back at Will and the smile on his lips and the joyful tears in his eyes finally made the message sink in.

Tears sprang to her eyes as her lips curled into a smile. "She's okay?" She whispered, voice full of hope.

Will nodded, letting out a small sob of relief before he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Yeah, she's okay."

"And here she is."

Both parents looked up as one of the nurses brought the newborn over. She had since quieted her cries, now all snuggled and warm in her nice, clean, white blanket.

The nurse turned her so they both could see her face.

She was a little tiny, but she was a little early and due to Emma's petite form, all of their children were on the smaller side at birth. Her cheeks were tinted with the lightest shade of pink and underneath her cap poked a few light strands of ginger hair.

"Oh…" Emma gasped and tears streamed helplessly down her cheeks as she looked on longingly to the infant. "She's perfect…"

"Yes she is." Will agreed, unable to keep the smile off his face and didn't bother to stop the few tears that rolled down his cheeks.

They had been through this three times before but every time had been just as special as the time before.

The tiny little girl may have been unplanned but she was a miracle and a creation of love.

"Dad, would you like to hold her?" The nurse offered with a smile and Will dumbly nodded, his arms already twitching to reach out for the baby.

The nurse walked around the operating table where Dr. Hawthorne had already begun to close the incision.

Will held onto Emma's hand as long as he could but never took his eyes off of his daughter as she and the nurse made their very long journey towards him.

Finally as the nurse stopped in front of him, he stood up straight and gently took his baby girl in his arms.

Fresh tears immediately sprang to his eyes as soon as the little warm weight was pressed against his chest.

He stared at her face, memorizing every little feature, already identifying what belonged to him and what belonged to Emma.

While all of the children had inherited Emma's hair color, Danny was the only one who most resembled her in facial features. The twins were a good combination of both and Nate looked more like him.

The precious little girl in his arms looked almost identical to her mother and that only made Will fall in love with her so much harder.

He blinked past the tears in her eyes and then laughed as one of the teardrops dripped from the edge of his nose to land on her cheek.

Her little face scrunched up and her lips twitched but she made no other protest.

"I'm sorry, sweetie." He whispered past another laugh and carefully brushed the droplet off her cheek with his thumb.

"Will?" Emma's voice suddenly broke him out of the magical love trance his daughter had him under.

He blinked quickly and slowly turned around to find wide, eager eyes trained on him.

He smiled as he leaned over, presenting the baby to her mother.

Emma smiled, blinking past tears. "Beautiful...my beautiful girl."

Tears welled in his eyes as he watched Emma admire their daughter.

 _My beautiful girls._

* * *

After Emma had been placed into recovery, Will went out in the waiting room to find his parents had arrived and told them all about the healthy arrival of the newest Schuester.

Benji and Emmett had immediately asked to see Mommy but Will explained she needed to be by herself for a little while but assuring them she was fine.

He distracted them by bringing them to the nursery and allowing them all to peer through the glass and pointing out the little girl that was their sister.

The three eldest ooo'd and awwww'd at the sight of her, though Emmett wondered why she was so tiny.

Will felt a little bit of bittersweet melancholy as he realized this would be the last time they'd be in this situation - most definitely this time.

But he was also relieved that he could look upon the healthy form of his newborn daughter and knew his wife was resting peacefully in a room just down the hall.

They didn't have a repeat of Nate's birth, thank Heavens and Will was so incredibly grateful for both his daughter and the fact that his last memories of being a new father would be happy ones.

He could look upon Nate's face, resting happy and healthy on his grandmother's hip as he peered curiously in through the glass as the woman tried to explain to him what the room was and about his sister, and not feel inherent dread and worry about his little boy. The last memories of being in a hospital with him were now replaced with happy and better ones of Nate now becoming a big brother.

After another hour, the kids were growing restless and Will's parents offered to take them back to their home until Will and Emma were ready to take the new baby home.

This offer came with relief from Will but whines of protest from the younger Schuester boys who desperately wanted to see their mother.

Emma had fallen asleep not long after the surgery and still hadn't woken up and Will certainly didn't want to disturb her.

So he agreed to let the children stay a little longer until she woke up so they could see her.

Will stayed with them, entertaining them, occasionally slipping out to check on Emma.

It was almost four hours after the birth that Annette came by with a smile to tell them Emma was awake.

Will's parents elected to stay behind to allow Will to go with the kids as to not overwhelm Emma with too many people.

Will held onto Emmett and Benji's hands as they were the most eager to get to Emma, practically dragging him down the hall like two puppies. Danny followed quietly behind with Nate toddling beside him, and though he didn't express it, Will knew his eldest was excited to see his mother.

He stopped the boys just outside the room. "I know you are very excited to see Mommy and she's going to be glad to see you all too but Mommy is very tired and is going to have a little bit of a belly ache so you have to be careful around her, okay? Don't go jumping on her bed and you can hug her but not too tightly. Understand?"

Emmett and Benji nodded eagerly and Danny also nodded but Will knew the older boy would have behaved himself anyway.

He smiled at them and then turned around to open the door.

He still held onto their hands but the boys practically bounced into the room with him.

Will's throat suddenly thickened as he spotted Emma lying on the bed, her attention fully captivated by the small little bundle in her arms.

She hadn't even noticed their entrance until the twins called out for her.

She jumped, startled out of the own little world she had created with just her and her newborn daughter.

She had woken up about fifteen minutes ago, a little groggy and sore but eager to see her daughter. After making sure everything was alright, one of the nurses went to fetch the newborn and bring her to her mother.

It was a whole different experience having the baby placed in her arms, when she wasn't heavily medicated and filled with anxiety about the state of health of her daughter.

The world faded away around her as she got lost in her daughter. She loved each and every one of her boys and her first moments with them had been just as special and emotional but she had always wanted a daughter so to finally hold her was incredibly emotionally overwhelming and surreal.

She had forgiven Will long ago for not getting the vasectomy but now being able to hold her daughter that wasn't supposed to ever be, she couldn't be more grateful to him for his careless mistake.

When she looked up and saw her family standing there, she got choked up all over again.

Will stood grinning from ear to ear, Emmett and Benji were holding onto his hands, bouncing on their heels excitedly, Danny stood quiet beside his father, smiling as soon as he caught his mother's eyes and Nate had also started bouncing to mirror his brothers.

Emmett and Benji started tugging at Will's hands to move towards Emma.

Will managed to tear his tearful gaze away from her to bend down to address the twins.

"Remember, be gentle with Mommy, especially because she's holding your sister."

"Okay Daddy!" Emmett said.

"Okay Daddy!" Benji echoed right after and Will released their hands.

They both scampered towards the bed, pausing at the edge of the bed, lifting onto their tiptoes to peer over at the baby.

"Hi Mommy." Emmett said, looking at her, "Are you okay?" He frowned slightly seeing her tears.

Emma smiled at them and nodded her head. "Yes darling, I'm okay."

Will appeared on the other side of the bed, Nate now in his arms as Danny slid in beside him.

Emma turned to smile at them and both their smiles grew.

"Baby!" Nate cried, leaning over Will's arms to reach down towards the newborn.

Emma giggled quietly in pure elation. "That's right, Nate, it's a baby. Your baby sister, Amy."

"Amy." Nate repeated and Will held him tighter to which he let out a whine and a pout.

"I want baby!" He demanded.

"Amy is very small so you have to be gentle with her, okay? Remember when you pet Grandma's doggy? You have to be nice."

Nate nodded. "I be nice." He said and reached down again.

Will sat him down on the edge of the bed. Still holding him around the armpits. Nate sat on his behind and reached toward the baby's head, very gently patting the top of her head. "Nice baby!" He exclaimed with a smile as he looked up at Emma with a smile.

Emma smiled tearfully. "Very good, Nate...very nice to the baby."

Her attention was drawn back to the other boys as they both reached out to touch the other end of Amy's swaddled form.

They looked to their mother for approval and Emma smiled at them, giving it.

They smiled and continued to rub the end of the blanket and little Amy stayed sound asleep through all the fussing.

Emma knew in that moment that the little girl would do well in a home with four older brothers.

"Can I hold her?" Danny asked quietly after a few minutes.

Will and Emma exchanged a quick glance but then smiled.

"Of course." Will said and lifted Nate off the bed, much to the toddler's dislike.

Danny slid into Will's spot as he stepped away and met his mother's eyes with a nervous but excited look and Emma smiled at him reassuringly.

With a small grunt of discomfort, Emma pushed herself up to lean towards Danny. Danny hesitantly leaned over the bed and Emma slowly and gently guided Amy into his arms.

Danny's eyes widened as soon as the baby was placed in his arms and he froze, half leaning over the bed, his eyes trained on his sister.

Will placed one hand gently on his back. "It's okay Dan, you can move. You just have to go slow."

Danny swallowed but slowly moved away from the bed, tucking the baby against his chest, still looking a little nervous.

After a few seconds with still no protest from the sleeping baby, Danny started to relax, a smile crossing his lips as he stared down in awe at his sister.

Emma held back a sob at the tender sight.

Nate had been too sick for Danny to hold when he was born and Danny had been too young with the twins to really hold either of them too well.

Now at a very mature nine years old, Danny held the baby with ease and the joy and awe in his eyes brought tears to Emma's.

It seemed like just yesterday she was sitting in the hospital bed with Danny wrapped up in her arms and now her first baby was holding her last. Her first son and her only daughter.

Finally, a small sob broke past her lips and Danny lifted his head in alarm, panic flashing in his eyes, thinking he had done something wrong.

Emma reached out her hand and touched his arm, shaking her head with a smile.

Her throat was still too tight to speak so Will slipped his hand onto Danny's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You're doing great, Danny."

Danny kept his eyes on his mother for another long second but at seeing her smile, relaxed again and returned his attention to his sister.

"I wanna hold the baby!" Emmett said, looking at his elder brother eagerly.

"Me too!" Benji added with a nod.

Emma's eyes widened slightly and she shot a panicked glance at Will.

Danny was a good boy so they had no problem with trusting him with their fragile newborn but their hyperactive four year olds?

Will raised his brow and his lips formed a tight line as he shrugged.

"Okay." Will finally reluctantly agreed and both the twins grinned excitedly. "But you have to sit down and stay still while you are holding her, do you understand?" He spoke slowly and clearly, keeping sharp eye contact with both of them.

They nodded and answered in unison, "Yes, Daddy!"

Danny looked up curiously to his father. "Can I hold her for a little while longer?"

Will smiled, his heart warming at the affection Danny already held for his sister.

"Of course."

He then turned back to the twins. "Danny is going to hold Amy for a few more minutes." A few whines and cries of protest came from their mouths but was almost instantly silenced by Will's stern look. "I want you two to go sit over there." Will pointed to the small couch behind him and the boys looked. "If you can behave until Danny is done holding her then I will bring her over and you can take turns holding her, okay?"

Emmett and Benji looked back at their father, then at each other, silently communicating with their eyes as they do, and then nodded.

"We'll be good!" Emmett said.

"Yeah!" Benji agreed and then they scampered over to the couch. They climbed up and sat next to each other, kicking their little feet back and forth but otherwise staying still and quiet as instructed.

After another few minutes, Danny handed Amy back to his father who had placed Nate on the bed next to his mother. The two year old instantly curled against his mother's side and just watched all the interactions with quiet curiosity.

Will walked Amy over to the couch, where the boys had straightened up and started to bounce in excitement.

"Calm down, guys." Will instructed, keeping his daughter pressed to his chest.

They both gasped as they realized what they had been doing and instantly stilled.

Will waited another few seconds and then smiled.

"Open your arms, Emmett."

Emmett did as he was told and Will slowly, carefully placed into his arms. "You need to hold her head very carefully." Will instructed, guiding his sons hand to rest at the back of the baby's head.

Amy gurgled and twitched her little pink lips and Emmett looked up, eyes wide. "Is she crying? Did I hurt her Daddy?"

Will smiled reassuringly. "No, Em, you didn't hurt her. She was just making noises...babies do that a lot."

"Oh." Emmett nodded in understanding and looked back at his sister. "Are all babies this small?" He asked after a minute

Will laughed softly. "Yes, they are...at least when they are new babies. Soon she'll grow up and be as big as Nate and then you two."

Will's throat unexpectedly tightened at that thought. His baby girl was only just a few hours old...he definitely did not want to rush her growing up.

He knew time would fly by and he wanted to save every second.

It seemed like just yesterday he was in that whole mess with Terri - expecting a baby girl that was never going to be there.

Fifteen years had passed since then and he had five gorgeous children and a loving wife and it had all gone by in the blink of an eye.

He was pulled back to reality as Benji demanded his turn to hold the baby and Emmett scowled at him, clutching the baby just a little tighter to keep her away from him.

Will's heart leapt into his throat at the action and he placed a protective hand on his son's arms to release his hold.

"Give Emmett a few more minutes with her, Benji. Emmett, remember what I said? You have to be gentle with her. She's not a toy you can fight over."

After another few minutes, Will shifted Amy from Emmett's arms to Benji's, with the same instructions.

After making sure Benji had a good hold on her, Will watched his children interact with a peaceful smile.

He glanced over his shoulder to Emma and his smile widened as he caught her loving gaze.

Nate had fallen asleep against his mother's shoulder, no doubt exhausted from the day's stresses.

Emma looked almost ready to fall back to sleep herself but couldn't keep her eyes off the tender scene in front of her.

After another half an hour, Will's parents stopped by the room, congratulated them and spent a little bit of time with their new granddaughter before corraling the rest of the children to take them home.

Nate was still fast asleep and had been transferred easily to his grandmother's arms, only stirring for a moment when they put his coat on.

The twins protested a little at having to leave their parents but they were clearly getting a little tired as well and eventually dutifully put on their coats, said goodbye to Mom and Dad and then followed their grandparents out with Danny.

There was a peace and quiet that settled over the room once they left and even though they loved all of their children, they were grateful for a little alone time with each other and their daughter.

Emma had shifted on the bed to allow Will room to climb up next to her, little Amy nestled in the crook of his arm, still fast asleep.

"Can you believe she's real?" Emma whispered in awe, leaning her head tiredly against Will's shoulder, staring at their pink-cheeked little girl.

"I have to remind myself every second." He answered her with a smile. "I feel like if I look away she'll disappear."

Emma hummed in agreement. "When I woke up...I just had this...this moment of panic. The last time I was here was with Nate and...I couldn't even see him." She sniffled. "But they brought her right to me." She smiled, her voice cracking. "She woke up for a few minutes and looked right at me. Gosh...she's so beautiful. She has your eyes, Will, did you notice?"

"Yeah." He said, his own voice thick with emotion. "But apart from that, she's all you, Em." He used his free hand to brush feather light touches across the baby's face, careful not to wake her. "Her lips, her nose...that hair." He laughed at the few little tufts of red sticking out from under her cap.

Emma giggled weakly. "The color is mine, certainly but she doesn't get that curly thickness from me."

"I've cursed them all." Will joked and Emma lightly nudged him with her elbow.

"It's not a curse." She told him. "I love your hair."

He smiled and leaned his head against hers. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too." She murmured and Will could just hear that she was desperately trying to stay awake.

Shortly after the boys had left, the nurse came by to give Emma another dose of pain medicine and it acted quickly to take away her aches but also made her incredibly sleepy.

"You can go to sleep, Em." He told her gently and she made a small noise of protest in the back of her throat.

"What if she needs me?" She whispered. "It's been a couple hours since she was fed…"

"The nurses can take care of her if she needs it. Honey, you need to take care of yourself too. The more you rest now, the faster we can bring her home."

Emma swallowed thickly, her hand moving slowly to cup the back of Amy's head. "I don't want to wake up without her."

Will dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sure it will be fine for her to stay with us for the night. Don't worry, Emma...I'll make sure she's right here when you wake up."

Emma smiled and let out another sleepy hum, rubbing her thumb very gently across the back of her head. "Promise?"

"I'll do my best." He promised. He knew it was more than likely they'd be able to keep Amy with them but on the off chance she had to be taken out of the room, he did not want to leave Emma with any sense of false hope as it would only make it worse for her in the end.

"Okay." She whispered and continued to rub Amy's head for a few more seconds. Then she stopped and a minute after that Will felt her relax against him and he knew she had fallen asleep.

He kissed the top of her head again and curled Amy in towards them so she was resting between them.

He knew in that moment that this was it - their family was complete and he had never been happier.


End file.
